Just Wondering

[lawnrrd]

Is is possible to care about greatness--to have it be important to you, to passionately need to see it and maybe even to be it--and still be "normal," or at least healthy, sexually and emotionally? It's a cliche of fiction that the answer is "no," and I'm wondering why.

Comments

[reive.livejournal.com]

"Normal" takes work.
So does achievement.
And survival.
And getting people to take notice.

Something generally has to give.

[lawnrrd]

I was going to quibble with you about this. My thinking about the stereotype was that if you're going to dare to try to be great, you must have a distorted ego, and probably some deep insecurities. This, of course, is also reflected in a person's sexual and emotional lives.

On reflection, I'm no longer sure that this is different from what you said.

[roadnotes.livejournal.com]

I think it depends, among other things, on how you define "healthy." You can care about geratness, and want to support and defend it,while being normal, but I believe that one of the essential elements about greatness -- and by extension, the support and achievement of it -- is that you have to be prepared to step out of "normal" and "healthy," and to redefine them for yourself.

Let me mull over this more.

[lawnrrd]

I was thinking along those lines myself, but more to the point that if you're unwilling to settle for anything less than greatness, at least in some context, you may lack a sense of proportion. And that can cause problems with love and sex.

[roadnotes.livejournal.com]

If you're mindful, you can create balances. But the mindfulness has to come first, or in conjunction with the realization that greatness matters.

(I have, after these months, tangents forming in my head about greatness in sex, and the way that some people need Grand Romances And Emotional Drama all the time. They may require an actual post.)

And yes, if you're wondering, I've been spending part of the weekend rereading your LiveJournal from the beginning. I'd like to get to know you better.

[lawnrrd]

Yes, Reive made a point like this, too. It's funny though, that my original question was not "why does this happen," but "why is this a cliche?" I suppose it's a cliche because it tends to happen, which leaves us the question why it happens.

[xrew.livejournal.com]

greatness is in the path, not the goal... which is lost on many people... resulting potentially in an ego-spasm...

an example of this is in references to greatness...

one 'is' (as in walking the path of greatness) currently great/brilliant/talented/etc...
to be a 'was' great is reserved for the dead (no longer walking the path).

(please pardon the zen speak, it's simply terse)